1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mechanisms for controlling the gun bolts in automatic guns, such as Gatling type guns, having a relatively small diameter rotating barrel cluster.
2. Prior Art
Automatic guns having relatively small diameter rotating barrel clusters are shown on U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,272 issued to R. A. Patenaude et al on Sept. 10, 1974, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,511 issued to R. A. Patenaude on Sept. 19, 1978. In such guns the gun barrels are very close to each other about the longitudinal axis of the gun and conventional systems for controlling and driving the gun bolts are not appropriate unless the diameter of the gun is increased significantly. In a more conventional gun, such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,342 issued to R. E. Chiabrandy on Apr. 30, 1968 a single, substantially helical cam track is provided to control and drive the gun bolts. However, if the diameter of the helix of such a cam track were to be significantly reduced, the drive angle of the track would be significantly increased and the cam would block the bolt. Similar systems are shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 698,472 issued to L. L. Driggs on Apr. 29, 1902, U.S. Pat. No. 1,242,068 issued to V. Stoddard on Oct. 2, 1917, U.S. Pat. No. 1,801,179 issued to L. Stange on Apr. 14, 1931, U.S. Pat. No. 2,849,921 issued to H. McC. Otto on Sept. 2, 1958, U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,003 issued to W. D. McThomas on Dec. 20, 1960, U.S. Pat. No. 2,971,440 issued to J. F. O'Brien on Feb. 14, 1961, U.S. Pat. No. 2,998,758 issued to H. J. Ouellette on Sept. 5, 1961, U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,043 issued to W. D. McThomas on Jan. 1, 1963, U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,074 issued to W. E. Perkins on Aug. 3, 1965, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,263,565 issued to A. J. Dragonetti et al on Aug. 2, 1966.
An object of this invention is to provide a mechanism for controlling and driving the gun bolts in an automatic gun having a relatively small diameter rotating barrel cluster.
A feature of this invention is the provision in an automatic gun having a relatively small diameter barrel cluster which rotates at a first velocity, of a relatively small diameter stationary cam track which controls and drives the gun bolts through their respective fore and aft dwells and adjacent accelerations and decelerations, and an additional relatively small diameter cam track which rotates in the opposite direction at a multiple of said first velocity to control and drive the gun bolts through the cross-overs of the stationary cam track.